c'est la vie
by vix vivere
Summary: in which Gray and Natsu have to visit Erza every year in the summer, and she does things that are probably illegal —gratsu brotp type beat, a bit ooc, the great depression au, country girl!Erza.. (check out my ao3!)
1. prologuee

**!PLEASE READ!**

hey there, it's been a while. I haven't written anything for a long time, although I've thought about doing it, i never really got around to it. but just a few days ago, I remembered some of the adventurous stories I read as a kid and I remember really loving them. The sad thing is that I don't remember the names of any of the stories I read. but they inspired me enough to write my own. so here's my attempt at coming back haha

this story is going to be less than 10 chapters, since I'm not too good at writing multi-chapter stories ahaha. Also please keep in mind that I haven't written anything in almost a year :))

_Prologue_

* * *

It was always August when they spent a week with Erza. He was Gray Fullbuster then, not just Gray. And Natsu was, well, just Natsu. In their first visits, they were just children so they could barely see the town because of her. She was so big, and the town was so small. She was old too, or so they thought, as old as the hills. And tough? She was as tough as an old boot, or so they thought. As the years went by and many things changed, Natsu and Gray grew up together. And though it seemed Erza never changed, they seemed to see a different woman every August.

Now they're older than Erza was then, quite a bit older. But as time goes by, they seem to remember more and more about those summer days and nights and the last house in town, where Erza lived. And just Erza in general. Are all of their memories true? Every single word. And still growing truer with years.

* * *

note: so yeah, not too much since it's a prologue. but as you may have gotten that this story circles around the relationship of Natsu and Gray, with them visiting Erza and getting into wild adventures. like I said above it's going to be less than 10 chapters, but I'm hoping to make the chapters long and enjoyable. see you next time!


	2. black steel's last night

thank you so much for the support! here's the first chapter :)) (also! the characters are going to be a bit ooc, they're in a completely different world after all)

_Chapter 1: Black Steel's Last Night, August X778_

* * *

They never really thought that they would have to leave Isvan to see a dead body, hell they never even expected to see one at all this soon. They were growing up in hard times. Just the summer before, Natsu's father disappeared and Gray's mother died. A hard time for the both of them, but they were friends before that all happened, and in a way it brought them closer together, the pain of losing a parent.

But Gray had grown to the age of 9, and Natsu was 8, and they had yet to see a corpse. They guessed that most of them were where you couldn't see them, like at the bottom of the river that passes by their home. And when they were being imaginative, perhaps in the dungeon of a fairy king's castle.

No, they had to travel all the way to Erza's, a family friend that somehow owed Silver a favor, before they ever laid eyes on a corpse. Silver said that Natsu and Gray were getting to the age at which they could travel on their own. He said that it was time for them to spend some time away. They hadn't seen anything from her since they were toddles though.

"He's dumping us on her is what he's doing," Gray said darkly. He suspected that his father would definitely enjoy the quiet in his house when they were gone, and that was probably the whole reason why he was even sending them on this "fun trip".

Gray just could not stand the place, he said. For one thing, at Erza's you had to go to the outhouse to do your business. It stands just across from the shed that has all of Jellal's belongings in it from when he was still alive. A big black tomcat lives in the shed, and right when you come out of the outhouse it jumps out at you (he also steals all the kiwis too, which are rare to come by ). Gray hates that, but Gray hates a lot of things.

Gray also said that there's not much to do (not like there's much of anything to do with Silver around in their regular life but whatever) and if there is there's nobody to do it with. So, he hangs out with Natsu, like always. The first two days they were there, they walked uptown and usually stopped at a cafe of sorts called "Fairy Tail" (Gray told Natsu that he was annoyed at how they spelled it wrong and almost refused to go in because of it, stubborn boy). Laws were tight those days, so the cafe didn't sell liquor like it used to. People made their own beer at home because of it.

It looked pretty slow to the children at first, but that was before Gajeel Redfox was buried (but nobody knew him by that name, to everyone he was just "Black Steel"). He might have gotten to the grave unnoticed if his nickname wasn't so strange. The town paper didn't want to write an article on anyone with the name Black Steel, but nobody else knew any other name for him. This caught the attention of many big newspaper companies. One company even sent in someone to go around the town and talk to everyone about it.

Fairy Tail is where the people go to relax and gossip. Gray and Natsu were of interest to the people hanging around in there since Erza was their family friend, and she had never set foot in the place. Erza was known to keep to herself and she always stated that she didn't care about the small lazy town she lived in.

When they got back to Erza's house, they told her of the news that a reporter is around town interviewing people. Erza had already heard that Black Steel was no more, somehow. She's not too popular of a woman and definitely not the type you'd run to after hearing such news. Jellal was thought of as a good man, but he was long gone. So how she already knew that information was beyond Natsu and Gray.

That was the day she was working the tomatoes on her kitchen counter. Honestly, the room was hot enough to burn even the Devil's touch.

Presently she said, "I can tell you what that reporter's after. He wants to get the jump on us because he thinks all of us are just lazy nobodies who got nothing better to do than to talk. I mean, we are..but that's certainly not his business."

"Who was Black Steel anyways?" Gray questioned.

"Just an old scoundrel that passed away penniless," Erza answered. "Nobody went near him because he was rumored to eat rusted metal, which the public declared disgusting and dangerous. They said anyone who was eating that was somebody who belonged in the institution."

Changing the subject she turned to us, "You two, stir these tomatoes for me. I've been standing in this heat so long I'm about cooked myself."

"They said that Black Steel killed a man and went to jail," Gray continued the previous conversation, hoping to get more information.

"Lots of those 'round here have done that," Erza said. "But I don't really remember him leaving the town for a long amount of time. Whose doing this talk?"

"The blue eyed lady who works at Fairytail." Gray said.

"White hair?" Erza said. "That'd be Mirajane Strauss. She'll talk you to death. I swear her tongue's attached at the middle and flaps at both sides."

"They said he put marks on his gun to keep track of how many times he did something against the law," Natsu added, pushing his luck. He'd read Gray's mind and decided to get more information.

"Was that Mira again? Never trust a nice-sounding girl that will talk your ear off." Erza said, although she isn't much of an oil painting herself. She heaved a sigh, "Y'know what, I'll tell you how that Black Steel got his name. He was off in the wrong crowd of older boys in an alleyway. They wanted Steel to prove himself to them so they said that he had to kill something quick. Well, Black Steel picked up a piece of metal so rusty it looked pitch black, and he put a hole through a squirrel's head with it. That's how he got his name, and it stuck to him like glue. Strange thing though, he could only fight with metals. Any girl in town could've outshot him, and that includes me." She jerked a thumb at herself.

They had noticed the double barreled gun behind a wooden box. But the children figured it was only Jellal's hunting gun from when he was alive.

A stranger was at the porch. "Looks like we got some company," Erza said. When Natsu and Gray crowded around her to see him, they saw the sharp face of the reporter.

"What's your deal?" Erza said through the screen wire, which was as nice as she got.

"Hello lady, I'm going around town asking about the man named Black Steel for the paper" He shuffled his feet a bit, wanting to get in the door.

"Who sent you?"

"Going door-to-door ma'am. You know how the ladies love to run their mouths. Bless you all, any one of you could talk a king right off his throne."

The children's eyes both widened at that. They figured that Erza might grab the nearest kitchen utensil and chase the reporter off her property for a comment like that. But to their surprise, she let him through the door. They all ended up sitting down at the table.

"So you the reporter huh? What have they been telling you?"

"Well from the looks of it so far I gotta pretty good story fetched up here," he replied. "A regular country boy goes rogue and gets caught by the grave. That's about what we're looking at here."

"Whose been talking to you?" Erza inquired.

"It was mostly the nice white-haired lady—"

"Calls herself Mira?" Erza said. "She's been in the hospital for the insane until just about as of late..but as a reporter I'm gonna take a guess and say that you already found that out."

Gray discreetly nudged Natsu hard as the reporter's eyes widened.

"They tell you how the man got his name?"

"The stories seem to vary here, lady"

"Well I'll tell ya," Erza said. "He got it from the war." The reporter quickly brought out his notepad from out of his breast pocket. "Oh yes, Black Steel was right on the front lines of the battlefield. Right around spring time. The general he served gave it to him as a name of honor. He was a remarkable fighter, he didn't need those guns to win."

Now Gray was tugging on Natsu's hand. They knew that children lied all the time, but Erza certainly wasn't a child. But she could certainly make up a big whopper to tell on the spot. Of course the reporter had obviously been lied to at the cafe, but Erza's lies were more interesting and even included some history. It made Black Steel look better while leaving Mira to eat up the dust, which to them it seemed like she was more than happy to do that.

"Yeah, that man came home with medals bigger than his chest."

"And yet he died without money?" The reporter raised a brow.

"Aw well he sold them medals and gave all his money to the orphans and people that couldn't support themselves."

The reporter was surprised. Black Steel had gone from the town criminal to a war-hero in a matter of a single interview. He was ready to write his new and improved story with a different view point on Black Steel. "And he never married?" he asked.

Erza shook her head, "Nope, never did. He broke Mira's heart and she's still bitter about it." Which, to Erza herself, was a completely obvious lie, but not to the information hungry reporter right in front of her.

"And now he's going to the grave with no one to celebrate his good spirit." the reporter said, which may have been a little taste of his writing style.

"They telling you that? They're telling you lies straight to your face." Erza said. "Tell all them down at that cafe that Black Steel's gonna have a reception at my place with full honors. Black Steel will spend his last night above the ground in this very front room, and you're invited."

When the reporter was going down the stairs he tipped his hat and gave his thanks. "Happy to help." Erza said as she shut the door.

Gray had let go of Natsu's hand. The little bit they knew about grown ups didn't seem to hold a candle to the type of creature that Erza was.

"Now I've gotta change my shoes and walk a long ways to the yard in the August heat, such a bother." Erza said, as if she didn't just bring all that on herself. At the yard they were still making Black Steel's coffin and Erza told them to bring his coffin to her house...with him in it.

* * *

By nightfall a standard coffin stood in front of the window and people walked about in the yard. They couldn't see Black Steel because the lid of the coffin blocked the view which was probably a good thing since he wasn't exactly...fresh. Erza had opened all the windows, but there was still a strange smell in the room. Natsu only got one look at him in the coffin.. and he thought that was definitely enough.

The people at the service still couldn't believe that _Erza _was holding an open house. This didn't stop the reporter, who was still looking around for more data to add to his story. And it didn't stop Laki, the banker's wife who came with her father Jose.

Eventually everyone fizzled out until it was just the reporter. Then suddenly, Mirajane Strauss wandered through the front door, "Well, Scarlet, I've come to stay overnight to see our brave soldier off in the morning when he's lowered."

If Erza wasn't trying her best to put on a show for the huge whopper she told, I would've bet that she would've never let Mira stay overnight. Mira made for the coffin, "Well, don't he look natural?" Then she pulled up a chair, right next to the reporter, oblivious of the fact that he thought she was just fresh out of a mental hospital. Natsu and Gray hung at the edge of the room, too curious to be anywhere else in the house.

"If you're here for the night," Erza said. "How 'bout a beer?" He looked encouraged, and Erza left him to Mira, which was meant as a punishment. She came back with a couple that she made herself. She wouldn't have expected her rival, Mirajane Strauss, to drink in front of a man. It was quiet while they were sipping on their beer, time slowly drifting to midnight. Only a single lamp burned as they finished their drinks. Gray and Natsu sat down a while ago in their little corner, Natsu heads dropped to Gray's shoulder. They were beginning to doze off. You could hear the ticking and tocking of the clock throughout the quiet room.

Then, there was the quietest sound you could ever hear, something like a rustling of sorts. It brought Natsu wide awake and had Erza's head jerk up. He blinked to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Not even a leaf stirred outside. But the blanket over Black Steel's head moved. Twitched.

Except for Gray, everyone in the room saw it. The reporter's eyes went wide and Mira made a little scared sound. Then the blanket rippled as if a hand was trying to get through on the other side. As if it had reached up from the depths in one last desperate attempt to live before being buried in the dirt.

Every single hair on Natsu's body stood up.

"No, no." Mira struggled to get out of her seat because of how panicked she was. "No!"

The reporter had an empty beer bottle raised up, ready to use it as a weapon if necessary, "Sweet holy mother of-"

But Erza rocketed out of her seat, "Woah Black Steel! You're time is already done, you don't get anymore!" Quicker than it takes to tell, Erza had Jellal's old double-barreled gun in her hands, ready to shoot. Then she shot off a whole round of bullets.

Natsu thought that the house would collapse from the noise. His sensitive ears couldn't hear right for weeks after this incident. "Rest in peace, ya old dirty scoundrel!" Erza roared. Then she shot another round of bullets. The reporter jumped straight out of his chair and jumped headfirst out the back window, leaving his hat and notepad behind. Natsu figured he probably woudn't be coming back for them anytime soon.

Mirajane was on her feet, hollering, "The dead is waking! And Scarlet's gonna aim for me next!" before she ran out into the night. When the door fell back into place, silence overcame the room. Gray hadn't moved. He'd been so shocked from the sound, he thought that _he _was the one being shot. And years down the line from this incident, he said that he still had nightmares about it.

Erza just stood there, savoring the rare sound of complete and utter silence. Then she turned towards Natsu and Gray with the double-barreled gun loosely in hand and said, "Time you kids got into bed." Apart from Erza herself, Natsu was the only one who had seen the big black tomcat get out of the coffin and out through the window when her first bullet fired. And he supposed she saw him climb in, which gave her ideas. It was the cat, who had sat smugly on Black Steel's chest, that batted the blanket which laid on top of him. Natsu figured that cat had already used up 8 lives already, being around Erza and all.

The cat in the coffin gave Erza her chance. She didn't seem to have any time for Mirajane Strauss, whose tongue supposedly flapped at both ends, but she had even less for nosy newspaper reporters who think all your business is theirs.

Though she didn't brag, she looked satisfied and smug. It certainly hardened her reputation as somebody you shouldn't bother. The story of Black Steel kept the Fairy Tail cafe fully entertained through the rest of their visit that summer. It became a story that was pondered through different versions of truth.

* * *

I kinda maybe have a huge thing for country girl Erza... also sorry if there's any typos, please feel free to comment any constructive criticism :))

Thank you for all the reviews! It was more than I was expecting, I'm going to be answering all of them :D

**Guest #1:** Thank you, I hope you enjoy it I'm working very hard on it :))

**Endlessfun1000: **Awww thank you so much! I'm so glad you like my writing style :D

**EggsAreTakingOver: **OMG NO ONE HAS EVER SAID THAT ABOUT MY WRITING BEFORE?! Kinda shoookkk haahahah. I think you've been here since the very first story I posted (which I deleted, along with many others lmao). Thank you for staying with me this long, I appreciate it more than you know. And about the update schedule, I'm going to try and get one out every week, but there's not going to be a really concrete schedule if you know what I mean :))

**Guest #2: **Thanks haha I would hope so :))

**Ursamajor12: **I'm glad you were excited haha! Hopefully you like this chapter :)

**Guest #3: **I'm glad you were excited as well!


	3. a quiet day in the country

thanks for all the love! sorry i was gone for like half a year but this chapter was really fun to write haha i hope you enjoy it :))

_Chapter 2: A "Quiet" Day in the Country X779_

* * *

From something that Silver had mentioned, it became clear to Gray that the trips to Erza's place were meant to be an annual thing. If he wasn't trying to be a mature boy, he would've thrown a fit. Don't get him wrong, at some points he really did enjoy being over there, it was a nice change from his father's stuffy lifestyle. But he still wasn't over last year's visit, or so he says. One night he'll get a nightmare about Black Steel's bloody body coming to life and the next he'd dream that the old black tomcat was jumping at him. Or so he says.

But having no choice in the matter, Natsu and Gray had to go. And no matter how much they complained on the inside, they can't deny that they have more fun there in one day than with Silver for months.

But A Great Depression had swept through the country, and nobody could seem to lift it. It wasn't as bad as it could get, but it was getting there. You could see the hard times just by looking at the people, just by one glance at someone's face and you could tell. Natsu and Gray watched them when they arrived in Erza's town (or well, just Gray, Natsu was too sick from the train ride). When Natsu had shaken off most of his sickness, they both noticed that there was a new sign near the station.

_-BEGGARS KEEP MOVING-_

_(signed by the Council)_

But Erza's house seemed to be the same. Gray was still a little scared of the tomcat in the shed. Erza said if he was worried that much, he should just use the chamber pot. Chamber pots are underneath your bed and handy in the night, but Gray wouldn't ever use his during the day. He didn't want to empty that thing more than necessary.

Being 10, Gray decided that he would take charge. He carried a broom stick to the shed to swat the cat if it tried anything. He was back that afternoon, dragging the broom behind his body in one hand and holding his nose with the other. His eyes were watering, not like he'd let tears fall. He doesn't cry. "Something died in the shed," he said.

"Naw," Erza replied, "it's cheese."

"Well I sure as hell don't want any." Gray crossed his arms across his chest, effectively dropping the broom.

"It's not for you."

Now that they'd mentioned it, Natsu could smell a powerful stench wafting its way into the kitchen area. He also spotted the old tomcat stretching out in the yard, nowhere near the shed he seemed to live in. The cheese smelled bad enough to keep the cat away. But it was no use asking what it was for, they were bound to find out.

* * *

Erza's house was one of the last in town. Next to the row of glads was a wire-woven fence, and on the other side of that was some sort of corn field. Gray could always hear the wind rustling the crops down there. It was a nice, comforting sound. But now there was the sound of shuffling boots and sometimes a voice. The sheriff's deputy's were out, carrying shot guns over their shoulders, moving the beggars out of town so they couldn't ask for spare food. From the window Gray could see the distant scene of men carrying lanterns over slouched bodies as they moved sluggishly to the next town over. It was a sad sight to see.

However, it was a short night. At about 5am, Erza was banging a spoon against a pot at the foot of the stairs to wake up the boys. When they both got to the kitchen, they could see that she was sporting a pair of men's overalls stuffed into a pair of old, muddy boots. Women weren't allowed to wear clothes of that sort outside (or ever, really) so she pulled a worn-out rag dress over top of it. She looked like a moving mountain and Gray couldn't believe the overalls.

"We're going fishing," Erza briefly explained.

Gray searched the room with his eyes for bait and rods, but he didn't see a single thing of the sort.

"God, it's just one thing after another in this stupid old town," Erza declared, "I need me some peace and quiet."

Natsu and Gray traded glances at that.

They didn't bother lingering for breakfast, the smell was too pungent now. The cheese was in an old sack, tied to a tree on the back porch. It began to dawn on Gray that this type of cheese was something that catfish considered a delicacy.

Erza was then ready to go, and when she was ready, you'd better be ready too. "Let's get on the road, now," she said, taking one last look around the kitchen. "Put the fire out and hide the ax and skillet."

Gray and Natsu only blinked. What fire? And more importantly what ax and skillet?

"Just a saying," Erza sighed. "I was a country girl once, y'know."

She carried the old sack of cheese all by herself, hitched up on her shoulder. Gray found himself in charge of a picnic hamper, and it took all he had to lift it. He looked inside. Half of the hamper was canned fruit and jellies. The other half was vegetables from her garden: snap beans, a couple turnips, and a cabbage. The only thing that actually looked like it belonged to a picnic was the unsliced loaf of bread stuffed inside. But he didn't bother asking. Erza saved herself a lot of trouble by being the type of person you shouldn't question.

And so, the group of three trooped out into the morning. As soon as they left her house, they were in the country. Natsu and Gray both had a strong feeling that this was by no means a short trip. He got Natsu to help him with the other handle of the picnic hamper, Natsu being a competitive child and trying to "prove himself" with any chance he could get.

Not long after, they were soon covered in bugs, and the day was already too hot. Natsu had on some shorts which helped with the heat. Gray, being 10, decided that he was too old for shorts, so he was wearing jeans instead. They marched behind Erza, gripping the hamper like a lifeline. They ate the dust of the dirt road for about a mile. Of course, being a city boy, Gray didn't know what a mile was, but it sure felt like one. Then they veered onto a pasture.

"Watch your step," Erza warned. "there are plenty of animals 'round here."

It became clear to the boys that they were headed towards some sort of creek. Finally, they came to a barbed-wire fence with a sign on it:

_NO TRESPASSING, WHATSOEVER_

_NO FISHING_

_PRIVATE PROPERTY OF LOCAL SHERIFFS AND THE GUN CLUB_

_(signed by the Council)_

"Lift that wire a bit so I can slide under." Erza ordered.

The lowest wire was pretty close to the ground, but Erza was on her back and managed to slide the cheese under. Now she began to work her shoulders to inch herself underneath. Gray pulled the wire up to the best of his ability. The wire cut his hand and he was stabbed a couple times by the barbs. But like a miracle, Erza shimmied under, Natsu following with plenty of room, although he did get a lot of burrs in his hair.

Not wanting to get caught up in that (and to make Natsu jealous of him), Gray climbed the fence and hopped over, dragging the hamper through the wires. Now, they were all in forbidden territory. It all looked overgrown and deserted. But Erza, speaking in a low voice, said, "Hush up and keep behind me from here on out."

They were surrounded by trees and tall grass. As they sloped down to the creek bottoms, the ground began to get soggy underfoot. Erza made way along the weeping willows by the water. When she pulled back a cluster a vines, they were faced with an old, snub-nosed row boat. It was pulled up to the soggy ground and tied to a tree.

"Work that rope loose for me, will you?" Erza whispered to Gray. She pointed to Natsu to fetch the picnic hamper. The knot was easy for Gray. Absolutely no problem. But actually pushing the boat out with Erza wasn't. By the time the boat was afloat in the water, he was up to his waist in muddy water.

Gray never thought for a minute that this was Erza's boat, but if she wasn't an expert rower, he didn't know who was. They pulled along the river without so much as a ripple. They were on their way somewhere, quiet as the night. Gray happened to be in the back of the boat, silently dosing off, when he got the scare of his life. He caught a quick glance of sliding scales in his peripheral before an enormous snake landed in the boat between him and Erza. That was the last thing he saw.

When his eyes opened again, the boat was tied to a tree again. Erza was crouched over him with a wet rag full of creek water being applied to his forehead. Natsu was peering over her shoulder at him, his squinty eyes looking at him accusingly, "You fainted, Ice-For-Brains."

Boys don't faint. He passed out. Or so he says. And it was probably the heat. A heatstroke, maybe. Or so he says. Then he remembered the snake and looked up at Erza with a confused face.

"Never mind the snake," she says, catching on to what the look meant, "I took care of it so it won't be coming around no more. It was good-sized, that's for sure. Harmless, though. There are more dangerous ones around so I'd keep my hands in the boat if I were you."

"You should've seen how Erza grabbed it by the tail and snapped it just _once _before its neck broke!" Natsu exclaimed. (It was all neck, if you asked Gray.)

"Then she flung it into the water," Natsu continued relentlessly, "Erza's got something with snakes. You should've seen-"

"Okay, okay." I muttered. Erza stifled a rare smile. Gray suspected that she didn't really think too highly of a "man's bravery", and he did absolutely nothing to help that case. Why was it him that did the fainting and not Natsu? It bothered him for years after. Not like he would ever admit that.

Before they knew it, they were on their way again, Gray keeping an extra eye on low tree limbs. He was recovering from everything but the embarrassment. Erza was rowing out from the bank when she suddenly stood up in the boat. It rocked dangerously side to side before finally balancing. She reached down for the long rod she brought with the hook on the end of it. Glancing briefly into the murky water, she plunged the rod down into it. It hit something, and she began to pull the rod back up. She planted her big boots as wide as the sides allowed to keep her balance in the tipping boat. Gray wanted to hang onto the sides, but he kept on picturing snakes in his head so he decided against it.

Something came up on the surface of the water. There was something big on the hook rod Erza had brought. It was far bigger than the picnic hamper and it had the look of some sort of crate. But inside was nothing but whipping tails and writhing.

Gray thought of another slithery something and ducked. But they were only catfish, mad as day, that had been attracted to the smell of Erza's cheese. A catfish is about just the ugliest thing, but with gills. Even Natsu, who literally eats bugs for fun, drew back his feet. Erza was as busy as a dog though, getting all the squirming fish into a net. When that was done, she put the cheese in the newly empty crate and sunk it once again.

Gray was amazed, "Erza, how did you remember where it was? You couldn't see it, but you snagged it first try!"

"Remembered where it sunk." she said briefly. That's when he realized, it wasn't a crate, it was a fish trap. Where he lives, fish trapping is illegal and you have to pay quite the fine for it.

"Erza," Gray began, "is fish trapping legal in this state?"

"If it was, we wouldn't have to be so quiet."

"What's the fine?"

"Nothing if you don't get caught," she said, "This ain't my boat anyways." A good example of how Erza liked to reason. "Them critters love that cheese." she said fondly, looking over at the place where the sunken trap was.

Soon they were gliding quite gently downstream. The catfish flopping less now. Despite the calm atmosphere around him, Gray's brain was buzzing. His dad, Silver, was a pretty dedicated fisherman. He was even the member of some sort of fishing club for god sake! What if he knew that one of his old friends was doing illegal fish trapping? Brewing your own beer at home was one thing, because that law only prohibited people from selling it in store. He noticed Natsu's eyes on him, silently watching over Erza's rowing arms. He was reading Gray's mind. It was then where they decided that they would never speak a word to Silver.

You could say one thing about Erza's method, you got all your fishing done at one time. Time went by fast and now it's no later than 8 o' clock in the morning, maybe they'd actually gotten away with it? Maybe things would settle down now and they'd have that quiet day in the country that Erza wanted. Then came the singing. Gray almost about jumped out of the boat. It had seemed to him that they were the only three people alone in the world. Now this singing came up from the bend in the creek, like a bad barber quartet with _way _too many voices chiming in as loud as they could.

Erza managed to turn the boat into the creek bend. Through the undergrowth you could see some old building. Near the porch there was a sign, words burned into it. It was Blue Pegasus, the infamous gun club. The one with the old sheriffs in it. That means trouble.

There were tons of empty beer bottles and further than that was the source of the singing. Grown men in their underwear, singing and dancing and partying still. Old men in _real _droopy underwear. It was a nasty sight. Natsu felt like his eyes were bleeding. They were waving their hands and trying to dance. You couldn't tell what they'd do next. Erza was fascinated.

As we watched, we saw a real small fat man with a deputy's badge pinned to his underwear throw up over the porch railing.

"Ichiya," Erza muttered, "a dumbass of a sheriff in this town. Ain't that disgusting, couldn't carry a tune in a goddamn bucket."

Natsu gasped, "They aren't acting right?" ..He didn't really understand the concept of someone getting drunk.

"Men in a bunch never do." Erza answered.

The gun club was probably sober enough to pick a fight though, and Natsu, Gray and Erza were on _their_ private property. Illegally. Not only that, but they could get caught fish trapping too. Gray thought that Erza would go upstream as fast as she could, but being Erza, she did the exact opposite of what was considered a sane decision. She jammed an oar in the water to push off and they were around the bend again. The members of Blue Pegasus came into view, and so did they. Natsu was sitting in the bow, Erza was rowing steady and Gray was in the stern, trying to make sure that the fish didn't show. They were sailing past as smooth as silk, big as life.

Blue Pegasus saw them. Natsu looked shocked and Gray didn't know what to do. A lot of the members were so far gone they just stared back, unbelieving. They thought they owned this creek, so why were people here? A few, seeing that Erza was a female, ducked behind others to hide themselves. It was a silent scene before Ichiya found his voice, "Stop in the name of the law!" he bellowed, "That's my boat you got right there!"

Erza took more control of the oars. She just rowed on as if she didn't just get caught by the law. The sun was still beating down on them, so she didn't really push it. The sheriff couldn't chase them down the stream anyways. She had his boat, after all.

They went around another bend before they came to some sort of dock. The boat got tied up there and then they were walking. Natsu liked this way better than the boat, he tends to get a bit queasy on transportation. Erza led, dragging the catfish behind her. Natsu and Gray were in the back doing their best with the picnic hamper.

An old house without a speck of paint on it came into view. The place looked lifeless, rags hung at the windows. Even in full daylight the place looked haunted. Gray didn't want to go in, but Natsu was marching through the door already, so he felt like he had to.

"Is anybody inside?" Gray whispered to Erza as he dragged the hamper behind him.

"Nobody but Old Grandpa Rob," Erza said, as if somebody would know that.

Once upon a time the house was probably quite a fine one. Old age didn't do it much justice though. It was creepy in there. Smelled funny, too. They ended up in a room almost about filled to the brim with furniture. Then somebody spoke.

"Where you been, girl?"

Natsu flinched, but the person who spoke was sitting in one of the many chairs. And they were staring at Erza. And calling her _girl? _He was by far one of the oldest people Gray has ever seen. Not a tooth in his mouth.

"Who's them chilrun with you?" The old man grumbled out.

"Just some kids I found along the creek bank," Erza said, to the surprise of both boys, "They was out there fishin'."

"I dunno if I want them twerps in my house," He shifted a bit, "Do they steal?"

"Not like you got anything anyway," Erza mumbled under her breath. Natsu stifled a laugh.

"Talk up girl," Old Grandpa Rob said. "You mumble. I've told ya that before." he pulled his sweater-like thing closer to his body, as if it wasn't one of the hottest days of the year. "I'm hungry. You hightailed it outta here after breakfast, haven't seen you since."

"He hasn't seen me in a week," Erza mumbled to Natsu and Gray, "but he forgets."

Then she called out to Old Grandpa Rob, "Catfish, potatoes, cabbage and fried onions. Same thing for supper."

"I suppose it beats starving, but hop on it, girl." he replied.

Gray thought he might faint again. Nobody talks to Erza like that and actually _lives._

He led them back into an old dirty kitchen. It was well stocked, despite its looks: big sacks of onions, potatoes, corn and even canned food. And they'd just brought a hamperful to add to that.

Erza ordered Gray to fire up the stove while she took Natsu to help her with the food. Natsu was in a big daze, just as Gray was. "Erza, is that nasty old man your grandpa?" Natsu asked, Gray silently eavesdropped to her response.

"Naw, naw. I was a hired girl to him before I was married." Erza said. "Lived in this house, up in the attic. Fetched water and carried supplies, doing any job he needed, really."

"You had a room in the attic?"

"Naw, I just slept up there. I had a straw bed that had to be changed out every spring. See, I haven't always lived in the luxury you see me in now."

"What did he pay you, Erza?"

"Pay me?" Erza gave a dry chuckle, "Naw, he didn't give me so much as a penny. But he fed me."

"And now you feed him."

Erza didn't reply.

* * *

They cleaned the fish on a plank outdoors. Gray didn't care much for it, the sound of Erza ripping of the catfish skin was enough to spoil his appetite for the day. She put him in charge of chopping off the heads, but Gray didn't really like the idea of chopping off the head of something that was looking back at him. And catfish have mustaches for some reason, which is just plain weird. Finally, Natsu took the blade from his hand and _whomp _he'd bring down the blade and the fish head would go flying. He was pretty good at it, so Gray let Natsu do it while Erza gutted.

By afternoon they were sitting at the dining table. Old Grandpa Rob was already there, so he was more spry than he let on. Watching him gum catfish was sure not a pretty sight, though.

"You chilrun still in school?"

Natsu and Gray both nodded in response.

"Do they whup you?"

"Do they what?" Natsu said.

"Do they paddle yer behind when you need it?" Old Grandpa Rob looked interested.

"If they did, I'd quit school." said Natsu, who'd just completed the third grade.

"They whupped that girl raw." Grandpa Rob glanced at Erza.

Gray had a sudden thought. '_Grandpa Rob thinks that Erza, Natsu and I are all the same age. He doesn't notice the years passing. That's why Erza's acting like this. Telling him that just would've mixed him all up.'_

"That's when she came to work for me, when they'd finally throwed her outta school." He continued, "tell 'em why."

The two boys looked at Erza, naturally interested to know why she got thrown out of school. She waved them away, "I forget."

"Well I sure don't!" Grandpa Rob waved a fork. "It's 'cause you clogged up the flue and smoked out the schoolhouse. That was the end of yer education!"

"Working for _you _was an education." Erza muttered, although only Natsu and Gray heard.

It ended up taking them another hour to clean up the kitchen how Erza wanted. By the time they were done, Old Grandpa Rob was in the same chair they'd met him in.

"Where d'ya think yer off to now?" he called out as we went back through the door.

"Down to the hogs." Erza called back.

"Well don't dawdle down there. You dawdle a lot. Get outta here." That was the last thing he hollered before the door shut behind them.

"Does he have hogs?" Natsu, being the more curious of them all, asked.

"He used to," Erza started. "He was quite well-off too. He's poor now, but he don't know it." How could he? He had a hired girl and plenty to eat.

"You take him food every week Erza, don't you?"

"Usually a big pot roast. He can gum that for days, it keeps him outta that poor farm and it gives me a quiet day in the country. Fair swap." Then her jaw clenched down. "But that's private business between us and I don't tell nobody my private business."

They walked the country roads all the way back to Erza's house. Gray and Natsu were still carrying the hamper, this time with the leftover catfish inside. By the time they got home, it was evening in her kitchen. Natsu and Gray were both staggering, struggling to stay awake. They were both about ready to hit the sack.

But Erza said, "Go down to the cellar and bring up about 20 bottles of beer. Carry two at a time, I don't want any broke."

Then she turned to Natsu, "We's gonna fry up these potatoes and catfish. There won't be nothing to it, just putting them in a pot."

The catfish and potatoes fried in large pans, popping with grease. The kitchen looked about filled up with smoke and night was at the door before they finished up. "Now get down every platter I own." Erza ordered Gray. Then she sent him to get an old card table that was folded up in the dining hall.

Following her lead, they carried everything out into the night. It took too many trips before everything was set up in the gravel. Then came the beggars. Erza gave them a good feed and a beer to calm their nerves. Erza hounded Natsu and Gray to help, serving them until their feet ached. They were hollow-eyed men who couldn't believe their luck. They didn't say much, didn't thank her either. Erza wasn't looking for thanks.

Then came the swinging lanterns, the sheriffs in the deputies who were against the beggars coming into the town. Up trooped Ichiya, short as ever, but now fully dressed with his badge on his shirt now instead of his undergarments. His deputies loomed behind him, but they weren't singing like earlier.

"Alright, alright, break it up now." He elbowed through the beggars. Then he came right up to Erza. "Goddamn it, Mrs. Fernandes. You're everywhere I turn. _Now_ what're you doing?"

"I'm giving these men the first meal they've had today."

"Or yesterday." A beggar added in.

"Mrs. Fernandes, I'm gonna explain something to you. We don't wanna feed these lowly beggars, we want them outta town!"

"They _are _out of town." Erza pointed her spatula at Ichiya's feet. "The town stops there, we're in the country."

"But I'm the sheriff of this area. You're in my jurisdiction!" The sheriff bawled. (Erza didn't even know he knew what that word meant.)

"Do tell." Erza said. "Run me in."

The moment she said that, all the beggars had eyes on her. That was when the sheriff and his deputies saw that they were greatly outnumbered.

"Mrs. Fernandes!" boomed the sheriff. "I wouldn't know what to charge you with first. You're a one-woman crime wave. For example, where'd you get them fish from?" he asked, obviously proud of his observation.

"The creek down the way, same as you get yours." Erza replied smoothly.

"You're accusing me? The sheriff of this town for fish trapping!?" he waved his pudgy arms around. He looked ridiculous, really.

"Well, surely not this morning," Erza stated. "Y'all was too damn drunk." The beggars chuckled at that.

"Speakin' of this morning, you stole my boat!" Ichiya said, his face turning green with embarrassment even in the dark night. "that's theft, Mrs. Fernandes! You could go behind bars for that."

"Oh, well, about the boat," she swings around her spatula for gesture. "It's a rule of mine that I take it back to where it's tied up after I take it to Old Grandpa Rob's dock. I couldn't do it this morning though. How could I row these children-" she gestures at Natsu and Gray. "-back past your gun club. They've already seen more than what any child should, the sheriff and his deputies dancing naked on that porch. Well, it's about scared this one for life"

Erza nudged Gray, who got the memo, and preceded to look deflated and damaged in his big apron.

"I'm thinking about taking 'em to a doctor so he can talk it out with them now. I don't want him developing one of those complexes you hear about these days."

"Woah." one of the deputies murmured behind the sheriff. "Hey let's just let them go okay? They ain't backing down, we got our hands full as it is."

The sheriff simmered down and him and his posse were in retreat now, but he had to cover himself, "Mrs. Fernandes," he said, clearing his throat. "I can overlook these things, but it still seems to me that you're running an illegal kitchen, without a license at that. There's probably a law against that in the books."

Erza laughed, "Go look it up, Ichiya. See if there's a law against feeding the hungry. And I hate to inform you, but we've talked for so long the evidence has been all eaten up."

And of course it was. The dishes and platters had not a drop of food on them and the only evidence was the disappearing smell of fish in the air. The beer bottles were gone as well somehow. The beggars were moving down the road now and the deputies started backing away into town again. Ichiya spit in the gravel before turning around to follow his deputies, boots grinding the dirt.

After the sheriff and deputies left, the three of them stacked the platters and rounded up the plates to return to Erza's house. There wasn't really much music in Erza, but she was humming a tune as she worked. Gray thought he recognized a tune, but he couldn't put a name on it.

Then after their quiet day in the country, they carried everything back across the road, under the soft light of the moon.

.

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_wooo very long chapter! I'm very proud of myself, I usually can't write such long chapters. I put a lot of thought into this, so hopefully y'all like it. see you next time :))_


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